Improvement in railway-switches



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Railway-Switches.

Patented Nov. 10,1874.

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A. UUIMBY. Railway-Switches.

Patentd Nov. 10,1874.

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WITNE'SES,

UnrrnnY STATES PATENT Frrcn ASAHEL QUIMBY, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY-SWITCHES.

Specification formrg part of Letters Patent No. 156,@18, dated November 10, 1874; application led l August 3, 1874.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, AsAHEL QUnvrBY, of Salem, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Arrangement for Operating Railroad-Switches, of which the following is a specification:V

The object of this invention is to prevent steam or other cars from leaving the rails should a switch be misplaced. This object is accomplished by the arrangement of levers and other mechanical devices between the inner pair of rails to which the switch-rails are adapted, which levers and other parts are connected to the switch-rails, and in their arrangement are adapted to be operated upon by the flanges of the car-wheels, so that, in the approach of the cars over either pair of rails to which the ,switch ,rails are adapted toward the switch-rails, with a misplacement 0f the switch-rai1s,the switch-rails will be moved automatically into line with the rails along which the cars are passing before such cars reach and come upon the switclrrails.

In Plate l, Figure l is a plan view ot' the present improved arrangement of devices-for operating the switch-rails automatically by the approach of a car along either line of the two lines to which the switch -rails are adapted. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of parts arranged for the manipulating by hand of the parts for operating the switch-rails.

In Plate 2, Fig. 3 is a plan view similar to Fig. l, Plate l, but with the switch-rails in line with the other pair of rails; Figs. 4 and 5, plan views in detail; and Figs. 6 and 7, sectional views in detail along lines It R and S S, Figs. et and 5, respectively.

In the drawings, A and B represent, respectively, the rails of two pairs of rails, suitably located upon sleepers (J, D, E, F, G, and H, for cars running upon either pair of the two pairs to pass upon the pair of switch-rails H2, should the switch-rails H2 be properly set. The switchfrails H2 are arranged, as ordinarily, upon sleepers H, I, J, K, and L, and connected by cross-bars M M2 M2, so that their two rails, when operated, will move as one. N N2, two levers located between the inner rails of the two pairs of rails. These two levers N N2 are of equal length, and similarly curved at each end, as shown, and in their location, as above stated, they are vhung at one end upon pivots b of the sleeper G, and at their other end upon pivots c, that are arranged within separate slots d of a common plate, 0. The slots d. are parallel to each other, and at right angles to the length of the sleepers, and the plate O having the said slots rests upon the sleepers G D, so that it can move freelythereon between the inner rails of the pair of rails A' B. f, a zigzag slot of three parts, g h z', in plate 0, between parallel Slots d of said plate; j, two pins fixed to a plate, P, under the plate O, which plate P, in turn, is fixed to the sleepers G D. The pins j pass through the zigzag slot fof plate O, and are fastened above to a plate, Q, resting on the plate O. The plate Q has a slot, la, which is parallel to the parallel slots d of the plate O, and in this slot lc is a pin, l, which passes down through the zigzag slot fof plate 0, and under such plate O is attached to one end of a lever, It. This lever It is between, and it extends in the same direction as, the two levers N N2, and atits end m it is pivoted to a plate, S, which plate S along its length has a zigzag slot, n, in three parts, o p q. In zigzag slot u of plate S there are two pins, r, which are xed to the bed-plate T of sleepers Gr H I, and also fixed to a plate, U, above the zigzag slotted plate S, and said upper plate is slotted at t in the direction of the length of the sleepers, and, by a pin, u, in such slot t, and the zigzag slot a of under plate T, the upper plate is connected to the cross-bar M, tying the switch-rails H2 H together. Y

In the drawings, Fig. 1, the switch-rails H2 H2 are in line for the rails A A, and in this position the one lever, N, lies against and along the inner face of the inner rail B of the series of rails A B A B, while the other lever, N2, is away from the other inner rail A of the said series of rails A B A B.

With the switch-rails H2 H2 in line with the rails B B, as shown in Fig. 3, the position of the levers N N2 is reversed.

Should a car be approaching along a linel of rails other than the one in line with the switchrails, theiianges ofthe car-wheels, as they move along over such rails, pass Vin and between the lever N or N2, as the case maybe, and the rail A or B, as the case may be, with which such lever is in contact, and in so passing swings such lever on its fulcrnm b away from contact with the rail A or B, and through such movement of the lever, and of the mechanism herein described connecting it with the switch-rails, the switch-rails are automatically moved into line with the line of rails over which the car is passing before the car reaches and passes over the line of joint between the switch-rails and rails A B, thereby keeping' the cars on the rails.

The above-described movement of the lever N or N2, as the case may be, moves its opposite lever into contact with the rails, and operates, through the arrangement of slotted plates connected to the levers N N2, the lever R, which, in turn, operates the slotted plates connected to the cross-bar M of the rails H2 H2.

At V, Fig. l, and by Fig. 2. an arrangement of mechanism is shown for operating the switchrails by hand. This mechanism consists of a rack-bar, a2, which is hung at one end to the slotted plate O, and is extended therefrom under one set of the rails A B, along the length of the sleeper C, to a position somewhat outside of said rails. With this rack-bar a2engages a pinion-wheel, b2, of an upright operating-rod, c2, arranged to turn in a standard, W, xed to the sleepers C D. The rod c2 has an operating-handle, d2, and the handle d2 is hung to a clasp, f2, of the rod c2, so that it can be swung up out of the way, as shown in Fig. 2, and therecaught by its bent en'd about the rod c2 by the bent end passing through a hole, 2, in a plate, j2, and there secured by pin or otherwise, and it is constructed with a forked end, g2, for being interlocked with the square portion h2 of thevoperating-rod c2 when it is swung down into a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. l. Swinging round the rod c2, pinionwheel b2 is turned, and thus slides the rackbar a2, moving the slotted plates 0, and thus, through them, as before described, the switchrails. rlhe handle d2, through its bent end in the plate j2, can be securely fastened by pin or4 padlock, as desired.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. The levers N N2, hung and connected to slotted plates O and Q, which are arranged between the rails A B, in combination with the slotted plates S and U, connected to switchrails H2 H2, and the lever R, connecting-plates S and U, and plates O Q, substantially as herein described, and for operation as speciiied.

2. rlhe plate j2 on operating-rod c2, having hole i2 to receive the bent end of handle (12, substantially as and for the purpose speciiied.

The above y specification of my invention signed by me this 9th day of March, A. D. 1874.

ASAHEL QUIMB Y.

Witnesses: Y

EDWIN W. BROWN, GEO. H. EARL. 

